Vehicle-heater.



No. 870,648; PATENTBD NOV. 12, 1907.

J. A. SHUTZ & M. L. KIRKMAN.

VEHICLE HEATER. v

APBLIOATION-rILBD`0oT.1s.19oe.

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No. 870,648. PATENTED NOV. l2, 1907. J. A. SHUTZ n M. L. KIRKMAN.

VEHICLE HEATER.

APPLIoA'rIoN FILED 001.213.1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. `SHUTZ AND MADISON L. KIRKMAN, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, ASSIGNORS,BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-HALF TO THE STANDARD PATTERN &MFG. CO., OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, AND ONE-FOURTH TO HENRY A. WEHRLY, ANDONE-FOURTH TO y LEWIS C. ASHMAN, OF NEW PARIS, OHIO.

' VEHICLE-HEATER.

Patented Nov. 12, 1907.

Application filed October 18. 1906. Serial No. 339,430.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN A. SnUrz and MADISON L. KIRKMAN, citizens ofthe United States, residing in Richmond, in the county of Wayne andState of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements inVehicle-Heaters, of which the following is a full and accuratespecification and exposition, which, when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, will be such as to enableothers skilled in the art to which the invention relates to make and usethe same with absolute exactitude.

This invention has relation, more particularly, to a construction forheating the interior of vehicles or the i like, although it may withslight modifications be made applicable for heating rooms or tents orthe like.

The object of this invention, broadly stated, is to provide a heatingplant for vehicles or the like, which will be neat and attractive inappearance, strong and durable in construction, easy of installation,easily operated and controlled, which can be manufactured and sold at acomparatively low pi'ice, and which will give a maximum of efiiciency,and that with a minimum of expense for maintenance thereof.

A more` particular object is to provide a heater for vehicles or thelike, being especially adapted for heatingr rural mail deliveryvehicles, the device being adapted whereby it will not take up any ofthe space in the interior of the vehicle, but at the same timebeingwithin reach of the occupant of the vehicle where it may be easilycontrolled and being so positioned that it will afford the highestdegree of efficiency.

Other specific objects are: to provide means whereby the danger from thefuel and the offensivcness thereof will be practically m'l; and toprovide means for supplying the necessary amount of fresh air to theburner, but at the same time drawing the air principally from the coolerportion of the interior of the vehicle.

Other particular objects and specific advantages of the invention willbe brought out in the course of the ensuing specification.

The preferred manner for the construction of our invention 'is shownmost clearly in the accompanying two sheets of drawings, in which-Figure 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view as taken centrally throughour invention, and showing a portion of a vehicle to which it may beconnected in order to more clearly illustrate the application of ourinvention. This application however may be different under varyingconditions depending on the construction of the vehicle. Fig. 2 shows anenlarged bottom plan view of the combustion chamberand the interiorthereof, the door being displaced for that purpose. Fig. 3 shows a topplan view of our invention, showing the frame of the register grates.Fig. 4 shows a top plan view looking into the interior of thecombustion-chamber, the grates being removed for that purpose. Fig. 5 isa plan view of the gratos for the combustion-chamber, showing sameinverted. Fig. G is a central vertical transverse section, as takenthrough the combustion chamber. And Fig. 7- is a fragmentary isometricalview of the cold-air chamber showing particularly the air conduit.

Similar reference characters designate like parts throughout the severalviews of the drawings.

In order that our invention may be thoroughly understood and its manyadvantages fully appreciated we will now take up a detail descriptionthereof and will set forth the construction and operation of theinvention as briefly and as comprehensively as we may.

For the purpose of showing the application of our invention we have, inFig. l, shown a portion of a vehicle in section, in which the letter Adenotes the fioor, B the seat, C the back, D the top, E the fartherAside, in the rear of the door opening; F the farther side in front ofthe door opening; G the dash; and H the farther door opening. The front,a portion of the top, and the running-gear of the vehicle are not shownas said parts are not necessary to an understanding of this invention.

Construction-The receptacle consists of a metallic rectangular box, thesides and bottom thereof being formed, preferably, of sheet metal,divided partially into two chambers which are designated for convenienceas the air-chamber l, and the combustion chamber 2, said chambers beingconnected at their lower portions, their upper portions being divided bya double wall forming a circulation air space 3 therebetween. The top ofthe receptacle thus formed, and being a part thereof, is covered by ametal floor-plate 4 secured thereto and consisting of the sides and endsforming flanges to rest on the floorA and a dividing member integraltherewith which covers the top of the flue 3, the latter being a littleto one side of the center, whereby the warm air grate is formed squarewhile the coldair grate is .oblong and of slightly less surface. Thenumeral 5 designates the cold-air grate which is integral with thefloor-plate 4, while the hot-air grate 6 is removable, being fitted intoa rabbet therefor formed in the floor-plate whereby the grate 6 willrest in said rabbet with its face flush with the face of the oorplate.The numeral 7 denotes a round-iire-detlecting grate suspended from .thecenter of the grate 6 by the bolt 8, being held some distance below thegrate 6 by the strut-block 9. The grates 6 and 7 being secured together,are adapted to be lifted outirof their operative positions by means ofthe reverse end oi the key 10, wh1ch is adapted to enter one of theapertures of the grate 6, as shown.

The inside of the upper portion of the combustionchamber 2 is lined withcomparatively heavy sheets of asbestos ll, or the like, which shouldalso be interposed between the floor A and the flange of the floor-plate4 as indicated. Secured horizontally in the center ofthe combustionchamber is a spider 12, being secured by rivets or the like to the sidesof the chamber, and said asbestos 'lining being supported at its loweredge by said spider, the upper edge of said 4asbestos being retalned -inplace by inturned lips extending down from the door-plate; but theessential function of said spider 1s tocarry the burner 13 and itscontrolling and supply mechanism. The said burner 13 may be of anyApreferred construction adapted to the tuel to be employed for heating,which in this instance is gasolene. Said burner 1s secured in the centerofthe spider 12, with its feed projecting below the spider, thenceupward and rearwardly at an angle to the generator 14, and then havingcommunication with the generator-pipe l5, wh1ch latter is connected tosupply-pipe 16, the latter passing along under the floor A and thenupwardly where 1t is connected with the supply-tank 17, said supply-pipe16 being provided with a union 27 near its center. The supply of gasgenerated by the generator 1s controlled, as to its flow, by theneedle-point shaft 18 which-stands vertically, being threaded into thecasing therefor which extends down from the burner, said casing having abranch which leads off to the generator as indicated.

An oil cup 19 is threaded on the lower end of the depending burner stem,to enable the burner to be started by burning oil in the cup in theusual manner.

O11 the lower end of the shaft 18 is secured the gearwheel 20, whichmeshes with the similar gear-wheel 21. At one point in the periphery ofthe wheel 2l there is formed a double cog 21n whereby said wheels willrevolve together only in the compass of one revolution. The wheel 21 ismounted on the lower end of the shaft 22, being carried by the bracket23 which extends outward and downward from the lower end of thegenerator, the upper end of said shaft 22 being even with the top of thegrate 6, an aperture being formed through Said grate to receive theupper end of the shaft. The upper end of the shaft 22 is formed squareto fit in the socket of the key 10 by which said shaft may be rotatedwith said key. The upper portion oi the shaft 22 passes through anaperture therefor in the ear 24, which ear extends in from the inside ofthe floor-plate 4 as shown, by which said shaft is supported at itsupper portion.

Access is obtained to the underside of the burner mechanism by reason ofthe bottom of the combustion Chamber 2 being hinged, forming thedownwardly opening door 25, said door being hinged toand adapted to beturned back against the stationary bottom oi the cold air chamber 1.

Extending across through the air-chamber 1 is a conduit pipe 26 openingat each end to the outside air, and through the wall of said conduit isa horizontally arranged row of apertures designated by the letters a, b,c, and d in Fig. 7, which apertures are opened in a direction toward thecombustion chamber, or they may be turned at. other inclinations iffound preferable. By the above it is apparent that air may be drawn fromoutside the vehicle through said conduit and supplied to the flame oftheburner, and by the arrangement it is apparent that a draft of air isprevented from striking the flame.

Installation and operation-*As indicated in Fig. l our invention isespecially adaptedl to be employed 4for heating the interior ofvehicles, and for its accommodation an aperture is formed through thefloor A which is oi' a size to allow the walls oi the combustion chamberand the cold air chamber to project down therethrough below the floor,the floor-plate 4 having a flange -adapted to rest on the floor aroundsaid door aperture, to which iioor it may be secured by screws or boltsas desired. The generator pipe l5 and suitable supply pipes are thenconnected up as shown7 extending back under the floor of the vehicle andthen upto the tank 17, which latter should be secured to some suitableportion of the vehicle as shown. When the entire construction isassembled as shown it is apparent that by removing the grate 6 the firemay be started in the usual manner, controlling the flow of fuel by thekey 10, turning the shaft 22. After starting the fire then the grate 6may be replaced and the heat from the burner striking the grate 7 willbe broken up thereby distributing the heat equally through the grate 6,from which it will flow into the interior ofthe vehicle.

It is noticeable that as the llame burns in the combustion chamber thecooler in the vehicle will be drawn through the chamber 1 and deliveredbelow the burner in the combustion chamber, then passing upwardly itwill be heated by the flame and the grates 6 and 7, after which it willbe delivered inside the vehicle, thereby establishing a circulation. Inconnection with said circulation it is desirable that a certain amountof fresh air be drawn from outside the vehicle, this being provided forby the conduit 26, limiting the supply but providing a sufficiency.

Having now fully shown and described our invention, what we claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. A vehicle floor-heater, comprising a metal casing or box constructedto depend from the floor of the vehicle and having a combustion chamber,a burner-supporting; spider secured to the side walls of the combustionchamber intermediate its depth, layers of lieat-non-conducting materialoverlying the upper portions ot' the inner surfaces of the side-Walls ofthe combustion chamber and supported at their lower edges on the upperside of the spider, and a grate-carrying floor-plate overlying the topof the casing and having depending flanges which overlie the innersurfaces of said heat non-conducting layers and conne them against thewalls of the combustion chamber. Y

2. A vehicle floor-heater, comprising a metal casing or box constructedto depend from the iloor oi' the vehicle and having a vertical partitionextendingr downward from its top and terminating above its bottom,dividing the interior of the casing into a cold-air chamber and acombustion chamber which communicate at their bottoms, a liquid-fuelburner within the combustion chamber, means Supporting the burner fromthe side walls ol the combustion chamber, a starting oil-cup supportedby and below the burner, a portion of the bottom of the casing beingconstructed to open to give access to said oil-cup, and a removablegrate covering the top of the combustion chamber and giving access tothe burner.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names to thisspeciiication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN A. SHUTZ. MADISON L. KIRKMAN.

Witnesses z R. W. RANDLE, R. E. RANDLE.

